


Worth Fighting For

by iamthatmonster



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 09:31:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,833
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2186598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iamthatmonster/pseuds/iamthatmonster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The minute Michael and Gavin met, as counselors for the same camp, they hated each other. However, being forced to talk to and work with each other can change things. Water can also help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Worth Fighting For

“Alright you fucks, listen up,” Michael shouted, resting the arch of his foot on the side of his bed before hoisting himself to stand on it completely. The campers he had been assigned all turned to look at him; some seemed interested, some looked bored, and some looking nothing short of terrified.

The ages were also mixed, some of the campers being almost as old as himself. It was immediately obvious to Michael that counseling wasn’t going to be easy.

“This,” he said, forcing himself to proceed despite his doubts, “is camp.”

“No shit,” a kid muttered from somewhere amongst the densely stacked luggage, and Michael narrowed his eyes in the direction the comment had come from.

“If you wouldn’t interrupt,” Michael snapped, “then maybe I’d be able to say something that’s not quite so obvious.”

When no response came from the room, Michael felt his confidence building, yes still moving from person to person. “Thank you,” he continued, a bit of a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “As I was saying, this is camp. The first thing you need to know is that you guys are all damn lucky.”

“I don’t want to be here,” one of the younger children whined. “How is that lucky?”

Michael huffed, and the boy immediately shrunk back. Then Michael was taking a deep breath and forcing himself to smile. “I didn’t mean that you’re lucky to be at camp. I meant that you’re lucky that you were assigned this cabin.”

“Why’s that?”

Snapping his fingers, Michael pointed at another one of the campers. “I’m glad you asked. That leads me to the most important rule of camp. I’m the cool counselor.” He grit his teeth, and some of the other people in the room began to look nervous. “Gavin,” Michael spit out, his voice seeping venom, “is the other counselor. He’s annoying, uptight as shit, an asshole, and, to top it all off, fucking stupid too.”

“And you’re none of those things?” Another voice shot back, and Michael widened his eyes in surprise, scanning the room for any signs of who might have spoken.

After a few seconds had passed however, Michael couldn’t help a laugh from escaping his lips. He rolled his eyes, sitting himself down on his bed from where he had previously been standing on it. “Alright,” he chuckled, “I’ll give you that one - that was good. And maybe I’m a bit of an asshole, but that’s all I’ll admit to.”

Almost as soon as the words had been spoken, the atmosphere of the room relaxed substantially. Michael took a deep breath, taking a moment to appreciate what he had been able to accomplish.

However, before he was able to do so, someone else was speaking up. “So you’ve told us the most important rule. What were the other ones again?”

Michael almost face palmed at his own obvious mistake, and if he cared a bit more, he would have been embarrassed. However, he didn’t, and he wasn’t.

This was going to be a long week.

\----------------

Gavin wasn’t sure how it had happened.

By nature, he was a laid back kind of guy. People liked him, and, for the most part, he liked people.

Michael was an exception to all of that.

The minute he had met the other boy, he knew they wouldn’t get along. Michael was loud and obnoxious and blatantly rude - all of the things that Gavin couldn’t stand. That wasn't all though.

For a reason that Gavin couldn't place, the moment Michael had laid eyes on him, he had become aggressive. Not physically aggressive - Gavin didn't think he had anything to worry about there. It was more a verbal aggression, as if he had instantly been threatened by Gavin's very presence in the room.

If he was being honest, the thought made Gavin want to laugh. If there was anything that could be said about him, it's that he was practically harmless. Sure, if he really needed to defend himself, he might be able to do a substantial job. But he wasn't the kind of person to go around picking fights.

Why Michael insisted upon doing so was more than he could understand.

However, despite the fact that Gavin wouldn't go around asking for fights, that didn't mean he wouldn't be willing to participate.

So when he snuck into Michael's cabin that first night, he didn't give it a second thought. If Michael was going to be an ass, Gavin would show him that he wouldn't go down without a fight.

A bottle of whipped cream in his hand, Gavin bit back a giggle as he made his way through the front door of the cabin. Generally, the counselors were supposed to keep the doors locked at night. Apparently Michael had forgotten.

'Stupid bitch,' Gavin thought as he again tried to hold back his laughter.

However, his attempts at remaining quiet proved to be in vain as he stepped on a particularly squeaky floorboard. Sucking in a harsh breath, Gavin's eyes darted around the room in a desperate attempt to make sure he hadn't woken anyone.

Thankfully, he hadn't, and he proceeded on to stand beside Michael's bed, a lot more cautious than he had been been before.

The look on Michael's face was surprisingly peaceful, his breathing even and lips slightly parted. For a moment, Gavin almost felt bad that he was going to disrupt him.

Almost.

Michael was lying on his back, one of his hands on top of the thin blanket, palm up. It was almost too easy for Gavin to put a generous helping of whipped cream on his hand, though he tensed when Michael shifted slightly.

But then the other boy was relaxing once more, the position of his hand only slightly different than it had been before. Momentarily, Gavin just stood there. He knew the prank was cliche and overused, but he didn't care. It would be amusing, which was all that mattered to him.

A second later, Gavin was blowing lightly on Michael's face. Michael's face scrunched up for a second, his eyebrows knitting together as he stirred in his sleep. One more quick puff of air was all it took for Michael to strike, his hand moving to scratch at his face.

He awoke instantly, a yelp escaping his lips as he sat bolt upright in his bed, pulling his hand away from his face. For a brief moment, he only stared at the whipped cream in the dim light, his brain still too sleep-addled to recognize what had happened.

The confusion on Michael's face was too much for Gavin to take and he burst into giggles almost immediately, clutching at his stomach as he doubled over in laughter.

Then Michael's confusion was turning into anger, immediately recognizing Gavin's voice and finally realizing that the other boy was standing next to him. "You fucking piece of shit," he hissed, throwing the blanket off of his body with his clean hand and jumping to his feet.

By that point, several of the campers had also awoken, watching over the situation with varying levels of amusement.

"Y-you should have seen the look on your face," Gavin finally managed to gasp out, wiping away a few stray tears that had formed from laughing too hard. "Oh my god, you were so bloody confused."

Michael grit his teeth, unsure of what he should say. He was still pretty tired, and even though he now realized what had happened, he didn't want to say anything that he would regret in the morning.

Even though he wasn't necessarily sure what that would be. The minute that thought had passed through his mind, he was speaking up, and any shits that might have been given a few seconds previously instantly disappeared.

"I can't fucking believe you," Michael exclaimed, his voice beginning to raise. "How old are you? Firstly, that's like the shittiest prank of all time. Secondly-"

His words were cut off with even more of Gavin's laughter, and that was the final straw. He lunged forwards, smothering the whipped cream that still remained on his hand over Gavin's own face.

The other boy made a noise that could only be classified as a squeak, immediately drawing back as if he had been burned. "Michael," he whined, extending the length of his name, "that wasn't very nice."

"You know what else wasn't very nice, asshole?" Michael snapped. "You fucking sneaking in here and making me do that to myself." He emphasized the last word, and Gavin laughed again.

"Come on Michael," he said, "you have to admit that was funny."

"I'm not admitting shit to you," Michael replied, his voice harsh. "Now get the fuck out of my cabin."

The corners of Gavin's lips were still tugging upwards into an amused smile when he turned his back, walking towards the door. "Maybe you should make sure your door is locked next time," Gavin said smugly, shrugging his shoulders in a way that made it look like he thought the whole thing was Michael's fault.

"I fucking will," Michael growled, finally starting to rub the whipped cream off of his face. "And you know what?"

"What?"

"You'd better watch your fucking back. This means war.”

\-----------

Even though Gavin didn't like to admit it, Michael's warning was starting to get to him.

Ever since the incident, Gavin had been on red alert, on the lookout for Michael at all times. He had even gone so far as to recruit some of his campers to keep an eye out when he was otherwise occupied.

That part of the plan was somewhat unstable. Gavin wasn't sure that the kids would actually warn him if he was about to get a bucket of ice water poured over his head.

After a few days had passed, Gavin started to grow anxious. Michael didn't seem like the kind of person that would take a prank lightly, and he knew that revenge was somewhere in his future. However, despite that, Michael didn't seem to be acting any more hostile around him.

Actually, the exact opposite was true, the other boy becoming increasingly more friendly with every passing day. That only put Gavin more on edge.

For the most part, he tried ignoring Michael, hoping that would somehow make him forget about what he had done. But when the two stood on the edge of the dock, observing the campers after Michael had refused to enter himself, Gavin let his guard down.

It was only for a moment, but Michael knew it was the perfect moment to strike.

Before Gavin knew what was happening, there were hands on his back. The next moment, he was in the water. Quickly making his way to the surface, Gavin sputtered as he took a deep breath, running a hand over his face in an attempt to rid it of any extra droplets.

At first, he wasn't sure what had happened, the suddenness of the situation confusing him. The sound of Michael's laughter made everything click into place.

"Michael," he exclaimed indignantly, glaring up at the other boy as he tried his hardest not to laugh, "that wasn't fair!"

When Michael had finally regained his breath, he grinned, shrugging his shoulders. "You say that like sneaking into my cabin while I was sleeping wasn't a dick move."

"Fair point."

For a moment, the two only stared at each other, a small smile on Gavin's face and a wide grin on Michael's. The campers had realized what had happened by that point, and a small crowd had gathered. For the first time they had seen, the two didn't look like they wanted to murder each other, and everyone was curious to see what would happen.

Truth be told, Michael and Gavin were wondering the same thing.

Then, just as suddenly as Michael had pushed Gavin in, Gavin was pulling himself onto the side of the dock, grabbing Michael's hand and giving it a firm yank. The surprise that washed over him was immediate, and he lost his balance a moment later, tumbling forwards into the water.

As soon as Michael surfaced, it was obvious he was trying to not look amused. "Gavin," he shouted, "what the fuck. My clothes are goddamn wet now."

Gavin started to laugh as soon as he heard the words, shaking his head as he stared at the other. "You started it, pushing me in like you did. My clothes aren't exactly bloody dry."

"Well yeah but-"

"Nope, you know I'm right."

Narrowing his eyes in frustration, Michael launched himself towards the other boy, getting him into as good of a headlock as he could in the water. Gavin was surprised at first, though he later realized that he probably shouldn't have been.

After a minute of that, Gavin finally gave in, leaning heavily on the dock with one of his arms and tapping out. "Okay," he gasped, poking at Michael's arm with his other hand. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, fucking hell. Just let me go."

Immediately, Michael released him, staring for a moment before disappearing under the water. Gavin stared after him, wondering what exactly his intentions were. Then the other boy was breaching the surface of the water, running his hands through his hair as he did so.

Despite his best efforts, Gavin couldn't help a sudden twinge of attraction from rushing through him, his face warming at the very thought. "What was that for?"

Michael shrugged, shoving his shoulder into Gavin's before pushing himself up to sit on the corner of the dock once more. "Well, as long as I was already wet, I might as well take advantage of it, right?"

The words didn't make of bit of sense to Gavin, but he nodded anyways. "Yeah, of course. Might as well." He looked at the other boy for a minute, before Michael averted his eyes and Gavin realized he had been staring. Again, he felt heat rush to his cheeks and he turned his back.

"Thanks for pushing me in, at any rate. I was trying to work up the nerve to jump in anyways." Then he was swimming away. However, before he was too far away, he heard Michael calling after him.

"It was a prank, you weren't supposed to fucking like it!"

"You're gonna have to try harder than that."

\-------------

The next week was much the same as the previous.

Both Michael and Gavin were constantly trying to make sure that they didn't get pranked, and some days it even verged on slight paranoia. It wasn't that either of them was worried that the other would hurt them. It was the when and what that got to them.

After that day at the lake though, Michael had started to think.

By nature, he wasn't particularly known as a friendly person, though there were people that he was able to get along with. He was very quick to judge, and Michael knew that. Sometimes he would form an opinion about someone before he even got to know them, and he wondered if that was what he had done to Gavin.

Because on that day Gavin hadn't really seemed all too bad.

He had begun to search his mind, trying to figure out what exactly it was about the other boy that he disliked. At first he had told himself that it was his stupidity. However, he knew that he wasn't the smartest person in the world, and he also knew that stupidity wasn't a trait that actually bothered him.

After he had come to that conclusion, he had moved on to another excuse, saying that Gavin was far too annoying for him to actually enjoy being around. However, that wasn't true either, as when Michael had actually took the time to talk to Gavin, he had enjoyed himself. He even went so far as to admit to himself that he found Gavin funny.

So why he couldn't stand being close to the other boy was beyond him.

Michael's annoyance towards Gavin wasn't just frustrating him though. Geoff, the founder of the camp, was also starting to get annoyed. One day, he decided to get his frustration and put a stop to the arguing.

Gavin and Michael had both been called to meet with him, and Michael was worried. The fact that Gavin was also there wasn't a good sign, and it was quite obvious the discussion was going to be about their relationship with each other.

"Okay, you two," Geoff said firmly, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two boys standing in front of him. "I'm pretty sure you know why I've called you here, but just to make sure-" he paused, looking at Gavin. "Why are you here?"

The boy averted his eyes, and Michael snickered quietly. Then Geoff was shooting him a firm look, and Michael was shrinking back. He didn't laugh at Gavin's intimidation anymore.

"Uhh, because," Gavin stammered, "because Michael and I haven't been getting along very well. A- at least, that's what my guess would be."

"Well, your guess would be correct," Geoff confirmed, and Michael ran a hand through his hair. Even though he had been expecting it, that didn't mean he had to like it. "Not only is your behavior pissing me off, but it's also starting to affect the campers. I don't know if you fucks have noticed, but the kids have started a goddamn prank war amongst the cabins. Which, if I'm correct, was started by you two."

"But isn't that what camp is about?" Michael protested. "I mean-"

The glare that Geoff sent in his direction was more than enough to shut Michael up, and then the man was speaking up once more. "As I was saying, it's a problem. So I've come up with a solution." Michael knit his eyebrows together, and when he turned to look at Gavin, he seemed to be doing the same.

"What-" Gavin began, but Geoff cut him off as well.

"If you want to keep your job, you'll shut up." Gavin clamped his mouth shut at the words, and Geoff nodded sharply. "Do either of you know how to handle a canoe?"

\--------------

"I can't believe we're fucking doing this," Michael muttered, taking a paddle in his hand and moving to stand beside the canoe. It was upside down, and the mere thought of having to flip it was frustrating. He watched as Gavin followed his lead, grabbing a paddle and coming to a stop on the other side of the boat.

"Well, it was either this or get fired."

"Yeah I know, I fucking heard Geoff just the same as you did."

Gavin sighed, but nodded, leaning over to grab the bottom of the boat. "Yeah, of course. Sorry, just trying to make conversation." As soon as Michael heard the words, he felt bad. However, he couldn't bring himself to apologize.

Together, they managed to get the canoe right side up, beginning to push it into the water a moment later. Then Gavin was stepping into it, rocking the boat precariously from side to side.

"Sit the fuck down," Michael exclaimed, grabbing onto Gavin's shoulder from where he had begun to wade into the water and shoving him down. The boat stabilized almost immediately, and Michael shook his head. "I swear, if you fucking topple this thing while I'm in it, you'll be sorry."

The other boy's only response was to laugh, and Michael couldn't help himself from smiling slightly. Then he was working himself into the canoe, sitting so that he was facing Gavin. A look of confusion washed over his face as he raised an eyebrow. "Are you- you aren't supposed to sit facing each other, are you?"

Michael shrugged, dipping his paddle into the water and attempting to push them forward. "Not really," he replied, and Gavin began to mimic his motions, the canoe lurching forwards suddenly. "But Geoff said that this whole thing was to get us to stop fucking arguing and have an actual conversation. Can't exactly do that with my back to you."

Gavin looked to contemplate that for a second, and then he was nodding slowly. "I- I guess that makes sense," he stammered, and Michael noticed that he looked nervous.

"What's the matter?" He asked, studying the other boy's face as he continued to paddle. "Have you ever been in a boat like this before?"

"I said I had, didn't I?" Gavin muttered, continuing his motions as he looked out over the water. They were a good distance away from shore by that point, much to Michael's surprise. Somehow they had managed to work together for long enough to propel it.

"Well yeah," Michael replied with a shrug. "But I thought maybe you were just saying that so you didn't look like a dumbass in front of Geoff."

"No, that's not it," Gavin replied, still refusing to make eye contact with Michael. "I'm just fine, there's nothing wrong." His tone was harsh, and Michael felt himself grow annoyed. He stopped paddling, eyes narrowing in the direction of the other.

"You don't have to be so fucking rude about it," he snapped. "I was trying to be fucking nice, and that's how you respond. What the fuck did I do?"

For a moment, there was a silence, then Gavin was catching Michael's eye. The intensity that they showed was unexpected, and Michael felt the urge to shrink back. However, he resisted, eager to hear what Gavin had to say.

As it turned out, he didn't say anything, instead leaning forward to catch Michael's lips in an insistent kiss. At first Michael was surprised, his eyes wide as he stared at the other boy's face. However, after several moments, the way Gavin was massaging their lips together made it impossible for him to resist, cupping the other boy's jaw in his hand as he kissed back.

It didn't take long for Gavin to begin tracing his tongue along Michael's bottom lip, and after taking a split second to think, Michael complied. He opened his mouth slightly, groaning lightly at the feel of Gavin's tongue darting inside, running over every inch of his mouth.

Gavin dominated the kiss and Michael allowed it, pressing himself as close as the canoe would allow without tipping. After what seemed like forever, Gavin was pulling away, his eyes running over Michael's face.

What followed was an impossible silence, where neither of them was able to say a word. Finally, Gavin was speaking. "I'm sorry," he muttered, running a hand through his hair and averting his eyes once more.

Then it was Michael's turn to speak. "It's okay."

"Wait, really?" Gavin asked in surprise, his eyebrows raised. "You don't- you don't care?"

There was another short silence, not nearly as long as the one before. "No," Michael said quietly, shaking his head. "No, I don't care."

The grin that spread across Gavin's face as a result made it all worth it.


End file.
